History of Kincardine O'Neil
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Kincardine O'Neil is the oldest village in Deeside. Its name comes from two parts; Kincardine is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Ceann-na-cearn, which means head of the hill or district. O'Neil is said to come from the barony of O'Neil and may even be connected to the Neil burn which passes through the village.
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Patron Saint
St Erchard
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Prehistoric Times
Following the retreat of the glaciers from the last ice-age there is evidence that nomadic hunters were the first visitors to the area. They left only a few traces of their passing however and it is from thousands of years later, about 4,000BC, that permanent inhabitation commenced. Stone-Age finds include axes, arrow-heads, knives and pottery. There is a wealth of burial sites from these early days.
Further a field in Deeside saddle-querns (distinctively shaped implements for grinding corn) have been found. It is also believed that the "Shortcist" people arrived in Deeside about 2000 BC (so called because they were buried in short cists averaging 3ft 8ins x 2ft 6ins x 1ft 8ins)
Earth-house specimens were found to have existed near Kincardine O'Neil. These houses were all under ground and had a narrow, low entrance apt to escape notice There is an earth-house a few miles from Kincardine O'Neil, which has been preserved, and can be visited.
A geological fault runs across the whole of Scotland from near Stonehaven in the east to Mull. To the north of this fault the land rises steeply some 1,000 – 1,500 ft. and marking a distinct transition from rich agricultural land to the south to the highlands. North of this Highland Boundary Fault an extensive range of hills called the Mounth separates the valley of the Dee from the rich farmlands to the south. The Mounth was a formidable obstacle to travel in the early days and is crossed by only a few passes. One of these, the present Cairn o’Mount road (B974) crossed from ancient Kincardine Castle near Fettercairn in the County of Kincardine to Kincardine O’Neil where the road crossed the river Dee by a ford before heading north towards the rich farmlands in Moray.
Kincardine O’Neil is therefore located on what was an important cross-roads for, being beside Scotland’s fourth largest river, it also sat astride the Old Deeside Road
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496
Christianity reached Kincardine O’Neil late in the 5th Century with the establishment of a church by St. Erchard (disciple of St Ternan), St. Erchard is now the patron saint of Kincardine O'Neil. A well was erected in his honour on the edge of the village. St Erchard's day is the 24th of August.
It seems likely that this early Celtic Church was on the same site as the later 13th Century ruin of St. Mary’s church. The Celtic Church existed in Kincardine O’Neil from the year 496 but the distinctive pattern of worship changed to come in line with Roman Catholicism in the time of Malcolm III in the 11th Century (see below). Turbulent times followed the Reformation but by 1690 the establishment of the reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland meant that St. Mary’s had severed its connection with the Roman Catholic church.
Owing to its location Kincardine O’Neil has been involved in a number of historic events.
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1057
On 14th August 1057 Malcolm Canmore, seeking revenge on King Macbeth for the murder of his father, rested in Kincardine O’Neil overnight with Macduff and a small band of followers. The following morning Macduff, leading his men, caught up with Macbeth near Lumphanan, just 3 miles to the north, and slew him. Tradition says that he brought Macbeth’s head back to Kincardine O’Neil on a golden platter. Malcolm later became King Malcolm III. Shakespeare’s version, while it makes an excellent play, is not very accurate when it comes to location – but why let facts get in the way of a good story!
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1150
King David 1st passed through Kincardine O'Neil on his way North to Moray. It is believed he might even have stopped in the village. This was part of the campaign David fought to bring feudalism to Scotland. His opponents crossed and re-crossed Deeside many times via Kincardine O'Neil.
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1220
The first bridge was built across the river Dee at Kincardine O'Neil by Thomas Durwood. The exact date is unsure but it may have been built as late as 1230. The bridge is believed to have been wooden (some believe it was made of stone). This was the only bridge over the Dee for three centuries until the next was built in Aberdeen in 1520-27.
In the olden days they believed that the river Gods required human sacrifices to allow people to cross in ferries. However the building of the bridge helped to stop the human sacrifices.
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1233
Alan Durwood founded the first hospice. It is believed to have been near the bridge his father built. In 1240 Alan Durwood built a church, which is believed to have been on the site of St Erchard's church, This was later built over by St Mary's Church, which is now a ruin.
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1296
Edward 1st of England camped over night on the 9th of august with an army of 30,00 men at arms and 5,000 mail-clad Knights. It is said they took all the food to be had.
O'followers he haed a flock,
Left neither capon, hen nor cock,
Na, nor butter, bread, nor cheese,
Else my informant tells me lees,
An' warst o' a' I'm wae to tell,
They left them neither maut nor ale.
Eight years late on 17th of October Edward again stopped at Kincardine O'Neil with his army. This was his last visit to Deeside.
Eight years late on 17th of October Edward again stopped at Kincardine O'Neil with his army. This was his last visit to Deeside.
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1328
St Mary's church was built. It is also now known as the Auld Kirk.
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1388
Isobel Duff, Baroness of O'Neil. Gave orders to erect a cock-stool and a ducking-pool. This was done to punish women who had done wrong.
For scolds, an' limmers, an' sic cattle
Wha deal in fibs, an' tittle-tattle
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1511
Kincardine O'Neil became a burgh of barony. This was done to encourage trade.
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1526
King James V used to travel incognito disguised as the Guidman (farmer) of Ballingeich through his kingdom in order to study the conditions of his subjects. He came in this guise to Kincardine O'Neil and stopped at a nearby croft tenanted by a family called Cochran. They made James feel so welcome that he granted Cochran the croft land and thus the name Cochran's Croft. A cottage of that name exists in the hamlet of Cochran which is the part of Kincardine O’Neil that lies to the east of the Neil Burn.
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1733
St Mary's church was burnt. Tradition says this happened when a villager was shooting at a doo (pigeon) on the roof of the church. The heather thatched roof caught fire. The church was re-roofed with slate and continued to be used until 1862 when the new kirk was built
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1790s
The population was 100 and the first school had already been established. At this time thousands of cattle were being sold at the Barthol fair each year. The north-south road that for so long had been an important route was now busy as a drovers road with livestock moved in the autumn from the breeding farms in the hills to be fattened in the richer lands on the low ground.
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1800s
Kincardine O'Neil was a coaching halt for travelers. During the winter coaches would rarely travel further west than Kincardine O'Neil. It is said that the width of the street is so as to permit a ‘coach and six’ to turn.
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1812
Potarch Bridge was built by Thomas Telford. This reduced traffic using the ford and ferry at Kincardine O’Neil (the 13th Century bridge had long since disappeared) but the overall increase in traffic that resulted brought prosperity to the village.
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1826
The whole of Deeside suffered a famine.
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1848
Queen Victoria stopped in Kincardine O'Neil. Nowadays we quite often see members of the Royal Family as they pass through the village on their way to and from Balmoral – but they don’t stop!
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1850
There was still a cattle market.
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1856
The Morrice school (it was an all female school) was built in memory of Rev W Morrice.
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1857
The Deeside railway was built and bypassed Kincardine O'Neil going, instead, through the hamlets of Torphins and Lumphanan. Kincardine O’Neil thus became somewhat of a backwater for the next century. It missed out on the expansion that other Deeside settlements saw at this time as a direct result of the advent of the railway. The houses that line the main street were not heavily modified by later development and thus the architecture reflects that of the late 18th and early 19th Century rather than a later style. This is the main reason for Kincardine O’Neil being an area of Outstanding Conservation Interest.
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1858
The Auld Kirks roof was deemed unsafe.
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1960
The Dinnie Stones. These two stones were used to counterbalance masons when working over the edge of Potarch Bridge. Large iron rings are fitted to the top. The stones are not equal in weight nor regular in shape. In total they weigh 785lbs. In 1860 local strongman Donald Dinnie carried these stones, one in each hand across the width of the road and back. The stones are there to this day, at the Potarch Hotel
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1862
Present church was built.
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1863
Episcopal church was built.
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1878
The Village suffered a diphtheria epidemic.
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1895
Present day Kincardine O'Neil Primary School was opened. The previous school was in two school rooms attached to the Old Schoolhouse, now a dwelling-house. One of the school rooms still stands, The Roomie, as does the wall that surrounded the school.
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WW1
Sixty-three men from the parish lost their lives in the war. This represents about 22% of the men of fighting age – a terrible loss in a small community. Returning servicemen formed a Kincardine O'Neil branch of the Royal British legion.
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1937
The last ferry-boat was swept downstream in a flood. It had been in use until that day.
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WW2
Seven servicemen and one service woman were killed during the war. The War Memorial lists the names of all those who died in the service of their country during the two world wars.
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1966
The Deeside railway closed as part of the cuts imposed by the infamous Dr. Beeching. The increased popularity of cars had made many rural railways uneconomic. In hindsight this was a short-sighted mistake. However due to the increase in road traffic Kincardine O’Neil had now become a busier village once more as it now lay on the popular A93 North Deeside Road. A thousand years ago and more the village was established for its place on the north-south route between the rich lands of the Mearns and Moray. Now its future would depend more upon the east-west Deeside Road.
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1978
Kincardine O'Neil was declared a conservation area.
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1986
Neil burn Drive was created.
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1999
Canmore place was erected.
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